A. Field of Invention
This invention relates to apparatuses and methods for disposing of waste fluids. More particularly, this invention relates to apparatuses and methods for disposing of waste fluids generated during medical procedures to a sanitary sewer.
B. Description of the Related Art
It is well known that blood, other body fluids and irrigating solutions must be removed from the body of patients when they undergo medical procedures, such as surgery. Medical providers, such as doctor's offices and hospitals, use a variety of different containers and apparatuses for collecting such fluids. These fluids must then be disposed of in an appropriate manner.
Different methods of disposing of such fluids are known. One method is to dispose of the fluids and the container they are held in together as a unit. While this method works well for its intended purpose, medical waste removers typically charge by the weight of material being disposed. Thus, including the collected fluids along with the container increases the cost of such removal.
Another method is to solidify the fluids rendering them either non-infectious or viscous. This method also works well for its intended purpose but also is relatively expensive because the solidified fluids are still a significant portion (weight) of the waste to be disposed. As noted above, medical waste removers typically charge by the weight of material being disposed.
Another method, assuming the waste fluids are of the type that can be placed within the sanitary sewer, is to simply pour the fluids out of the container and down the sanitary drain. This method has the advantage of minimizing the disposal costs because, without the fluids, the overall weight of items that must be removed by medical waste removers is reduced. As such, this method works well for its intended purpose when done carefully. However, heightened awareness concerning employee safety makes this method less attractive. Pouring of such waste fluids may disperse aerosols and may result in residual spilling and splattering of the waste fluids.
It is known to reduce these disadvantages with the use of a venturi device. Venturi devices are well known to be effective in removing fluids from a container. Examples are provided in U.S. Pat. Nos. 954,270, 997,584, 1,068,102, and 1,118,971. Pinder, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,217,038, utilizes pressurized water and a venturi device to remove surgical waste fluids from a container and transport the fluids into a sanitary drain. Bemis Manufacturing Company, Health Care Products Group, of Sheboygan Falls, Wis., provides a similar assembly.
However, neither the Pinder nor Bemis assemblies have the advantages provided by the inventors of this patent. These advantages are described below.